Godfrey Valorsworn
*Goddy *Godfrey the Valorous |title= Master Knight of the Silver Hand |class= Paladin |hidep= |race= Human |gender=Male |height= |hair=Red |eyes=Hazel |skin=Fair |hidef= |family=*Gilderan Bedford (father) *Maria Bedford (mother) |job= |house= |affiliations=Order of the Silver Hand Argent Crusade Ashen Verdict }} Godfrey Alexander Bedford, also known as Godfrey Valorsworn, is a Master Knight of the Order of the Silver Hand. In recent years, Godfrey has retired the life of a combatant and instead taken up a more mundane role as a mentor residing in Northshire Valley whilst pursuing his career as an armorer and blacksmith. Biography Early Life Godfrey was born on a farmstead in Western Darrowmere forest (currently Western Plaguelands) in Lordaeron, near the border to the Tirisfal Glades during the early years of the terrible First War. His life began simple. He fulfilled the role of a farm-boy aiding his parents, Gilderan and Maria Bedford, on their stead. Early on in his life he met his uncle, Gillespie Darethan, his father Gilderan's brother, who was a Knight of some rank in the kingdom’s military. Stories told by the older man to the boy inspired an interest in Knighthood in young Godfrey. When he reached the age of five, having trained with the sword in the years that followed (albeit sub-par), he and his family were forced to live behind the walls of Capital City when a threat to all life arose - the Orcish Horde. The Second War had begun. On the eighth summer of his life, the Second War had ended with the defeat of the forces of Orgrim Doomhammer’s Horde, and after three grueling years of waiting behind the capital's walls, the lives of the citizens of Lordaeron had begun to rebuild. Education The boy's uncle came to visit once more; this time, however, he seemed different as the air of valor and esteem around him as a Knight and soldier gave way to a profound calm and wisdom - he was a Paladin of the Order of the Silver Hand. Gilderan pleaded for Gillespie to take young Godfrey under his wing and give him a far better life than he would have on a farmstead, but Maria did not agree. Despite that, however, Godfrey was taken as Gillespie's squire and so began his training and education to become a Paladin-Knight of the Silver Hand. The first four years were spent teaching the boy how to read and write, history of the kingdom, and hands-on geography where both uncle and nephew rode out into the countryside. It was then that Godfrey received a horse he would later name Almaric and become a faithful steed in the years to come. The next six years were spent training the boy in the ways of the Silver Hand, formidable combat skills, as well as instilling in him a code of Honor and a great degree of faith in the Holy Light. He also came to witness a dire string of events, foremost of which were the exile of Lord Tirion Fordring, one of the five founding members of the original Order of the Silver Hand and governor of Hearthglen and learning of his mother's death to which he initially showed a great deal of regret. By the age of eighteen, Godfrey Bedford was ordained at the Alonsus Chapel inside Stratholme and had chosen to take up the name 'Valorsworn' as a nom de guerre. Later, he performed his duties as a Knight of the Silver Hand amid personal vows and obligations. The Third War Godfrey was among the Knights present during the sortie to Hearthglen by order of Uther the Lightbringer at the behest of Prince Arthas Menethil where, by pure chance, he was forced to strike down his own mother, reanimated by the then-unknown plague and grieved her all through the evening after. At Stratholme, he bore witness as Arthas accuses Uther the Lightbringer of treason for refusing to cull the supposedly plagued inhabitants of the great city. In the months that follow, slaying the Undead with his brethren paladins and with the return and betrayal of Arthas, and the death of his uncle by the hands of the Scourge, Godfrey used his strength and effort to aid the remaining Knights of the Silver Hand as they protected the citizens unaffected by the Plague and struck down those who were. He could only watch in horror as the wayward prince slew his former mentor, Uther the Lightbringer, and took his father, King Terenas' urn. He had no choice but to make an exodus to Kalimdor by order of Lady Jaina Proudmoore. There, he made an effort for what remained of his people and helped them settle in the strange land. At the Battle for Mount Hyjal, he learned that orcs and humans could co-exist in a tolerant air and met new, yet reluctant allies in the xenophobic Night Elves. After the long war, Godfrey offered himself to help establish the port-base of Theramore then took a ship back to the Eastern Kingdoms and travelled to Lordaeron where, by a tragic twist of fate, he meets the Argent Dawn and learns of the fate of the Silver Hand and the esteemed Ashbringer, Alexandros Mograine. He would also find Alexandros' youngest, Darion Mograine, amid the Argent ranks. Later, he watched as the young man gathered to recruit volunteers to storm a then-unknown fortress floating high above Stratholme to save his father, or what was left of him. After the events that lead to the first Battle at Light's Hope against the legions of the Undead Scourge and the Archlich, Kel'thuzad, Godfrey moved south to the kingdom of Stormwind where he learned of the turmoil plaguing the kingdom. The Burning Crusade Godfrey would find himself doing very little in the city of Stormwind, given--or perhaps because--of the current circumstances. In light of all that had happened within the city's walls, he sought to simply provide the lost and worried people of Stormwind with what hope he could give them. This act had allowed him the opportunity to nurture the third virtue of Compassion, learning its finer points through the hardship that followed in the coming months. Some time later, he had caught wind of the re-emergence of Tirion Fordring, the exile and pariah, and how he had fashioned himself Highlord of a new Order of the Silver Hand. Despite his preconceived notions of the elder paladin being an untrustworthy traitor to the Alliance, the events of the Third War reminded him of a singular truth - one that had decided the fate of Azeroth - that Orcs and Humans could co-exist, as had Tirion and the orc, Eitrigg. Later on, rumors of the Dark Portal re-opening milled among the masses of the Alliance and Horde. Without a doubt in his heart, Godfrey leaped at the chance and joined the ranks of this new Order. Bolstered at the thought of seeing their allies once more and--at the same time--sobered by the grim fact that their beloved realm would be beset again by demons, the newly-reformed Order of the Silver Hand marched foremost into the shattered world of Outland. There they battled wave after wave of the demons of the Burning Legion alongside the combined forces of the united, intelligent, and cunning races of the Alliance and the brutal, savage, but honorable members of the Horde. Though the cost of victory on Outland's side of the Dark Portal was a staggering one, Godfrey witnessed a new ally comes to the surface to aid the embattled races in their war against the Burning Legion - the venerable, experienced, and benevolent Draenei of Argus. Sometime later, word spread that Jorad Mace, an Ex-Paladin seeking redemption in the Light who rode into the Dark Portal with the new Order of the Silver Hand as Godfrey did, had deserted his duties. Jorad returned later, warning both the assuming commander of the Alliance and the Silver Hand - Commander Duronand Irulon Trueblade respectively - of another, more imminent threat. With the Ex-Paladin's credibility in question, he turned to the only thing that would never forsake him in his time of need lest he forsake it himself - the Holy Light. Witnessing this display, Godfrey would then count two Paladins who had been cast out of the Light's grace at one point, but have since returned to its warm, forgiving embrace in the time of their greatest need. This gave him a deeper appreciation and connection to his own Light that he had not yet lost - and hoped he never would. No sooner, as the Alliance and Horde gathered their forces to be on high alert, did a massive force of red-skinned orcs arrive; some of them were on foot, others atop ray-like beings that looked as if to swim through the air - and their commanders and generals astride dragons that looked as though they were born of pure, uncontained energy. The Nether Dragons that they had been warned about. Ragnok Bloodreaver, one of the original Death Knights of the Orcish Horde, was also then identified as the leader of their host. His bold plan to wrest control of the Dark Portal, and then pass through it with his army to conquer Azeroth beyond. Battle was joined, and Godfrey again found himself fighting alongside the once-hated enemies in the Horde and his allies in both the Alliance and his brethren in the Silver Hand. None were left without a foe to take down, and with every Nether Dragon felled, others in their host would simply replace it. In the conflict, the Dark Portal's energies were met by an uncontrollable blast by one of the crazed dragons, damaging it to the point where it was sealed yet again, the forces of the Alliance and Horde cut off from Azeroth. The tide of battle was turned when Ragnok was finally defeated, supposedly by Jorad Mace, and thrown from his Nether Dragon - the control device for his dragons destroyed and his form nothing more than robes, a scepter and the ashes that had once been his undead body. The Dark Portal's energies were reignited and thus reopened by a blue dragon using all of her power over the Arcane and was one of the first the step through the renewed gateway, and with her was the host of enfeebled Nether Dragons that were affected greatly by the loss of Ragnok's control device for the collars that had held sway over them. Much later, as the embers of the last battle finally dimmed, Godfrey watches as Jorad Mace dismisses himself temporarily from service, with leave from Irulon Trueblade, to pursue more personal matters. Despite the battles on the shattered world being numerous and scattered, Godfrey remained in the red, dusty plains of Hellfire Peninsula. It was in this time that he learned of the continued existence of the Sons of Lothar, and one of their pre-eminent commanders, Danath Trollbane. He focused his efforts on strengthening and defending Honor Hold - the very first bastion of the Alliance on Draenor during the Second War, prior to the world's transformation into what it would be known later as Outland - against the vile forces of the Fel Horde: the savage, red-skinned orcs akin to those that had accompanied Ragnok Bloodreaver; these, however, were clans that inhabited the foreboding Hellfire Citadel closeby. The stronghold had also endured formidable sieges by the Burning Legion on another front for a long time. His brethren's Light-given powers would then be pitted against the Fel Horde's bloodlust and the hunger for chaos and destruction for a time until the head of the beast is severed by a band of braves from the Alliance and Horde. What few places in Outland he had traveled to, Godfrey was able to set foot in the dour but enormous and magnificent city of Shattrath where the Draenei held the line against impossible odds against the Orcish Horde prior to the Second War and gave their lives so that the inhabitants of the city could survive. It was there that he witnessed the continued existence of the renowed Archmage of the Sons of Lothar, Khadgar. It was also where he bore witness to the the beatific Naaru, beings of immense affinity to the Light. Having finished his duties in the broken realm, he returned to Stormwind to dwell on his new knowledge and insight as well as see to the welcoming of the Alliance's new Draenei allies, while the forces of the Aldor-aligned Draenei and Blood Elves of the Scryers came together as the Shattered Sun Offensive to right the wrongs of the wayward leader of the Blood Elf people, Kael'thas Sunstrider, and prevented his Legion master, Kil'jaeden the Deceiver, from using the fabled Sunwell as a gateway into Azeroth. Azeroth saw a shining glimmer of peace, as did Godfrey... but it would be short-lived. The Northrend Campaign -- To be continued -- Appearance (Taken directly from the character's MyRoleplay(4.0.6) profile) The man's hair and beard, thick and bright, are well-kept and presentable though both continue to give the man some ruggedness. Godfrey's eyes are a strong, steel blue; fierce, resolute, and experienced - occasionally darting from one spot to another. His face, beginning to show some lines of age, is stoic and his expression is calm and set evenly. His armor-clad musculature is fitting, taut and lightly tanned. He stands quite tall, mostly due to his disciplined posture, even when fully armed. Chief among the scents about him are the musky odor of leather and the strong, sharp smell of iron - if oddly pure. His armour is crafted of solid, unnaturally shining plates with a sort of mirror finish. Part of his long blue cloak wraps about his neck like a thick scarf, covering the top half of his breastplate and tabard, fastened by two large, heavy clasps both engraved with unique symbols. Godfrey carries a warhammer with a powerful-looking metal head; the insignia of a clenched gauntlet raised in salute is carved on either side, and the wrapped, blue shaft ends with a rounded pommel. Upon the left side of his waistguard is a scabbard housing a seemingly weathered sword. His libram - the blue tome attached to his waistguard, dangling from chain links on either ends of the spine - bears intricate designs meant to represent it as a holy relic. Overall, Godfrey may exude the aura of nostalgia to those from the old Order of the Silver Hand. Personality Godfrey, first and foremost, is a man dedicated to order and justice. Being a Paladin, it is his sworn oath to always value right conduct and the concept of Honor. As such, he very rarely compromises his beliefs and methods, especially if he believes the alternative to be in conflict with his code. This particular refusal to compromise has, at times, led Godfrey to appear aloof and inconsiderate but he has yet to truly vindicate those claims. Among those close to him, be they comrades-in-arms or friends, he appears at ease and approachable; however, such a facade belies a scrutinous and somewhat (though mostly harmless) mistrusting nature. He is the type of person to trust very rarely, believing that there is not one breed of person - in his own opinion - who will remain steadfast in their beliefs long enough to convice him they can be trusted - not even himself, thus tending to keep his words and actions in check. Having taken to a life of self-imposed asceticism, Godfrey sets himself more on the pursuit of better being and livelihood instead of spending time with companions, pursuit of vices, and sometimes the occasional craving for the flesh. As such, Godfrey is very disciplined; physically, mentally and spiritually fit. However, to obtain this state of being and living, he sacrificed much of his social relatability. Quotes - "I raise my hammer to defend the people of the Light and my hand to heal them." - "Only with a heavy heart shall I strike down a foe that has yet the capacity to redeem himself... I take no pleasure in robbing someone his right to redemption." - "In Lightbringer's name, have at thee!"- spoken when charging into a battle against a foe. Combat Though having experienced the path of a healer in a civil environment, lifting his warhammer high with his libram open as he chants, channeling healing energy into a wounded ally or civilian in need; that of a defender, standing before oppressors to defend the meek and innocent with a shield in tow; Godfrey prefers to honor the Valorsworn namesake and take the role of an avenging Crusader, wading into the thick of battle, slamming fiercely into droves of enemies to break their formation in tandem with formidable swings of his mighty warhammer, Light's Valor, to scatter them even more. With the lightness of his armor, given the mithril, steel, and lightforge iron used in its reforging, his stamina and strength are more focused on devastating momentum and ramming speed during a charge and the shattering arcs caused by his favored weapon. Most of these attacks have a tendency to knock lesser opponents off their feet if not force them to fly outward entirely. Despite the power put into his strikes, they are nothing more than basic attacks, although, he has been known to imbue such assaults with the Light's power, turning an already fearsome array of swings into the embodiment of righteous fury. When fighting living opponents, Godfrey makes it a priority to disarm his opponents first, opting to keep them alive but without the means to fight back. However, against Demons and Undead, it goes without saying that his attacks become a combination of Light-empowered holy strikes and exorcism magic granted by his Light-given powers, throwing mercy aside as creatures of wickedness and evil deserve none. In a situation against multiple undead or demonic opponents, he casts a chain-binding spell against the leader of the group and whittle down at the lesser ones with basic and, sometimes, Light-imbued attacks when fundamental techniques prove insufficient, leaving the leader figure alone for a skirmish. He has a tendency to keep to his teachings and to traditional Paladin combat tactics, content enough to wield the abilities and spells taught to him as a Knight of the Silver Hand and feels no need to improvise like his Templar brethren in the Argent Dawn (and even some younger Paladins in the new Order). Besides, "old-fashioned got the job done." (by Amtherion regarding the Lich King's fall.) Trivia *Godfrey is one of the original Knights of the Silver Hand (albeit from a newer, younger generation). *Prior to being ordained as Valorsworn, Godfrey's family name was Bedford. *To this day, Godfrey continues to maintain and wield the war-hammer given to him at his ordaining ceremony. Light's Valor ''is the name he chose for it to be a match with his ordained name. It has since become his most favored weapon. *Godfrey's current armor (fashioned after Tier 6 Lightbringer) is reforged of lightforge iron using his old Silver Hand armor as the base which was battered during the Battle for Light's Hope Chapel and utterly broken when the Lich King appeared on the field at the turning point of the skirmish and cast a powerful spell that shattered his armor, which wounded him severely in the process and knocked him unconscious. *He has achieved the rank of ''Master in the Knights of the Silver Hand as of the present day. In addition to the honor of such a prestige, he received a new tabard depicting the colors of the Order (Tabard of the Lightbringer) from a senior Paladin - close to the end of his time - to replace his own which had become worn and tattered beyond repair and restoration during his time serving in the Third War. *Godfrey is very wary of teenage individuals. His opinion can be swayed, but he is of the mind that they are a volatile lot and thus holds them to a different set of standards than most people. See also Valorsworn's Blog (WrANet) - Detailed excerpts from the Third War's accounts through Godfrey's experiences. External links Category:Characters Category:Alliance Paladin Category:Human Category:2016